Max and Ferns
by honus47
Summary: This is au. I didn't much care for season 9 especially the finale so this is what I wish would have happened
1. Chapter 1

Max & Ferns

This is au. I didn't much care for season 9 especially the finale so this is what I wish would have happened.

A/N I need to thanks once again my friend Nherbie for looking this over and correcting all of my mistakes. Any incurred now are all on me.

Deeks didn't know what to do. He'd just been fired by Mosley and then had a major fight with Kensi. He's not even sure if he's still engaged or not. He'll have to wait and talk to her later. Right now, he needs to get home, have a beer and settle down. He then realizes that he won't be able to settle down. As soon as he walks through the door, he'll smell her, and the state of their home will bring her back to his mind. Before he knows it, he's home and parking his truck along side of her Audi. His heart skips a beat as he thinks about not seeing her again and hopes she'll see things clearer when she gets back from Mexico, praying that she'll even get back from Mexico, safe and sound. As he unlocks his door his phone starts ringing and he sees Hetty's name come up. He puts his phone to his ear and asks cautiously, "Hi Hetty. What's up?"

Hetty comes back with, "Mr. Deeks, can you meet me at the bar where I first approached you about joining NCIS as our liaison? In about one hour?"

"Sure thing Hetty." He replies.

"One thing more Mr. Deeks. Bring a go bag with you." Hetty says.

Deeks wonders why she asked him that and then has an idea. "I can do that Hetty. So, I'll see you in an hour."

Hearing that, Hetty says, " See you in an hour Mr. Deeks." and breaks the connection.

Deeks walks into the bar and sees Hetty right away, sitting in a corner booth facing the door. As he walks back to her he looks at the barkeep and nods his head hello. He slides into the booth and asks her, "What can I do for you Hetty?"

A pregnant pause ensues as Hetty ponders her answer. She decides to just come out with it. "Your team needs you, Mr. Deeks. Their plane leaves in about an hour and I hope you're on it. I tried talking EAD Mosley into recanting her firing you but her mind is made up. Just know that, if you go, none of you are working for NCIS. This is an off the books op in a foreign land. All four of you are in the same boat."

Deeks had had a suspicion that this was what Hetty wanted to meet him for. His answer stuns her. "No thanks Hetty. That mission should have been planned a whole lot better than just saying let's go get Mosley's son. He's currently in no trouble and living a fairly safe life, even if his father is a criminal. We could have decided on a better plan and then went after him. But Mosley didn't want to hear that. And Mosley firing me is not the first time. She sent me back to LAPD the first day on the job and has been trying to get rid of me ever since. Today she did it. To make matters worse, no one but you, tried to keep me there. After all I have done for this team, I would have thought someone would have stuck up for me. I mean think about it. When Sam was accused of murder with DNA and photo evidence, the whole team fought for him. When Kensi was accused by Granger, the whole team fought for her. When Callen went off to Romania, the whole team turned in their guns and badges and followed him to back him up. When we found you in Viet Nam, we all went to get you. Again, all off the books ops but we all went anyhow. And now today, when she fired me and had two agents humiliate me by physically walking me off the property, not one of them stood up to her to protect me, not even Kensi. To top it all off, she and I had a fight in the parking garage and I'm no longer certain if we're even engaged anymore. So, no Hetty, I'm not going. They can take care of themselves like they always do. I'm just a cop now anyway."

"Mr. Deeks . . . Marty, we both know you're more than just a cop but more importantly is the fact that Kensi needs her partner. You know this, in your heart. She needs you to back her up. Now, that plane leaves in less than an hour and I sincerely hope that you'll be on it. What do you say?"

"When you put it that way, I guess I can be her partner one last time. None of us will actually be law enforcement once we get there. Okay Hetty, I'll go."

Hetty takes a piece of paper out of her purse and slides it across the table to Deeks. "This is the information you need to find the plane. Good hunting Mr. Deeks." And then slides out of the booth and leaves.

Deeks makes it to the private airport in a little under 30 minutes only to find out the plane has left already. Apparently, Mosley figured as long as everyone was ready, they could leave. Deeks calls Hetty and when she answers with a surprised greeting Deeks tells her about the plane already being gone. All he heard her say was, "Bugger!" and the line went dead. He heads for home to have a cold beer, spoil Monty, and to think of what's to come. He thinks of his bar and remembers it has an apartment above it. If things turn out bad with Kensi, he can always live there. He has several weeks of accrued vacation time that he's going to start on Monday. Then he'll begin getting his bar ready to open. Being a lawyer helps a great deal and being a public defender helped him out even more. He knew people in the courthouse. He has already applied for and gotten the necessary permits for his bar, including a liquor license. He gets out a pad of paper and starts writing down things he needs to start on Monday. He also needs to check on the sign for the bar. It may be done by now. He'd ordered it almost a month ago. After he writes for a bit he thinks of Kensi and the guys. He already misses his everything and hopes things go well for the team.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N - I would like to thank the several guest reviewers for their comments. Also to the one that asked me about a more "mature" story I need to say no. I tried one once and I didn't care for it. Again thank you all for the reviews.**_

 _ **A/N - 2**_ **:** _ **The wondrous nherbie edited this and as always, she turned it into what it is now just by adding a word here or removing a word there. She is fantastic and I'm so glad she's my friend.**_

Chapter 2

Hetty sits at her desk sipping a freshly brewed cup of tea, thinking about what to expect with the Mosley fiasco. This is the second day the team has been down there and she hasn't heard from them. As she takes a sip of her tea, her phone rings. The caller I.D. reads Callen. Upon answering, he tells her of a plan involving horses that she thinks may just work. It was something Deeks was talking to Kensi about before Mosley kicked him out. She tells Callen she'll get back to him. She wants to run the idea past Mosley for approval first. As Hetty walks through the ops automatic door she spots Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones in the far corner typing like all get out on their computers.

"Mr. Beale" Hetty says. "Have you seen EAD Mosley today?"

Eric replies with, "No. I haven't seen her since yesterday afternoon. Why do you ask?"

"How about you Ms. Jones? Seen her at all?"

Nell tells her she hasn't seen her since they made the video for her son and goes back to her computer.

Hetty says "Find her Mr. Beale. I need to talk to her." And wonders where she could possibly be. After all, this is her mission, as ill conceived as it is.

"Hetty" Eric says. "The last known location of her phone was a private airport just outside of Los Angeles. It looks like she took a plane somewhere. There is no flight plan listed."

"Oh bugger" Hetty remarks, "She's more than likely going down to Mexico. God forbid if she tries to take control of this mission in the field." Saying that, Hetty spins on her heel and goes down to her desk. When she arrives, she unlocks a drawer and removes a phone. She then dials an international number that she hopes will be answered. After several rings she hears, "Hello Hetty. What do you need me to do this time?"

"Mr. Turk, I have the feeling the mission currently being run is going to be compromised. The Assistant Director is on the way and no one is sure what she has planned. I'm sending you two sets of coordinates. The first set is where the team is going to drop off the young man they went down to get. The second set is for the team. I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide some over watch to the sites."

As Arlo is talking to Hetty his phone pings telling him he has a message. "Hetty, I just received the coordinates. They're only a mile or so apart. But it will take me some time to get to them."

Hetty answers with, "Very well. I'm going to inform Callen he has a go. Thank you, Mr. Turk." And then she disconnects.

Hetty then calls Callen back and gives him the go ahead on the mission and he in turn gives her some horrible news.

"Hetty, we can't find Hidoko. We went to her last known phone location and found a pile of ashes and some bone fragments. There were also some small boot prints that would be the same size as hers. We have a sample that we'll be bringing home. I sure wish Deeks would have come with us. Kensi is going to be going into the compound alone. We'll park the SUV on the backside of the compound and she can jump the wall with Derek. Sam and I will be inside making a commotion."

"Well Mr. Callen, you can thank EAD Mosley when you see her for that. She sent your flight early. Mr. Deeks was there before the flight was scheduled to leave only to find it had already left. I'm afraid we've lost our Mr. Deeks. Good luck Mr. Callen." Hetty sits back in her chair and sighs, thinking even a freshly brewed cup of her favorite tea isn't going to help her. She reaches into her lower desk drawer, pulls out a bottle of scotch and pours herself two fingers worth. Her mind is running rampant with "what ifs" as she sips her drink and hopes things turn out well.

Callen walks back into the room and looks at Sam and Kensi and tells them, "It's a go. Hetty was going to run it by Mosley, but she couldn't find her. She also said that she had talked Deeks into going with us but when he got to the airport we were already gone. Mosley sent us early."

Sam states the obvious when he says "All she sees is getting her son back. I don't think she cares about anything else and that includes us. This whole mission is a spur of the moment type and wasn't thought out very well. I'm hoping we all make it back, but it's going to be close. And to top it off, we're going without a full team. We really needed Deeks on this. He would be driving the getaway vehicle and giving Kensi a better chance of getting away. Too many things can happen with that SUV just sitting there, waiting."

"I agree," Kensi says, "But it can't be helped. This is what we have, so let's get it done and get home." And then her thoughts turn to the fight she and Deeks had had in the garage before they left. She just wonders if he may be closer to the truth than she thinks.

"Well, let's get ready then and get this show on the road." Callen says and then looks at Sam. "Sam? You going to be alright? You're bleeding again."

"I'll be okay G, let's just go get Derek and get out of here." When he stands up to leave behind Callen and Kensi he feels his leg giving him some grief. He needs to be careful that the other two don't notice how he's favoring it and then he closes the door.

Hetty, Nell, and Eric are all watching things unfold up in ops. They see Kensi drop Derek off at the first helicopter and rush to pick up Sam and Callen. As soon as she has them both in the vehicle, everyone back in ops breathes a sigh of relief. As soon as they approach the last bit before they reach their helo, Callen yells, "KENSI! STOP! They're waiting for us at the bridge. Get us out of here!"

Sam says from the backseat, "They have a rocket!" He hardly finishes saying that when the rocket hits the SUV and the SUV explodes completely lifting it several feet in the air and rolling it over, rendering its passengers unconscious, or worse.

Arlo is almost to the coordinates that Hetty sent him when he sees a large plume of smoke over the hill. He parks his truck as close as he can and goes the rest of the way on foot so no one notices him. When he gets close to the top of the hill, he drops down and crawls the remaining few feet. What he sees takes his breath away. The SUV is almost completely engulfed in smoke and fire and he can't see how anyone inside could still be alive. As he watches, the men that blew up the SUV return to their vehicles and leave, more than likely thinking the same thing, that everyone inside the SUV is either dead or dying. Arlo runs down the hill and jumps into his truck and races to the burning SUV. As he gets to it, he slams on his brakes and gets out of his truck. Because of his rental business, he carries two commercial grade fire extinguishers in the bed of his truck. He grabs one from the back of his truck and heads to the burning vehicle. He can't get a good look inside yet so he empties the extinguisher on the driver's side and grabs the second one, emptying it also. He knocks quite a bit of the fire down and that enables him to see inside somewhat.

What he sees is disturbing. He tries opening the driver's door but it's twisted pretty bad. He runs back to his truck and grabs the cable from the winch mounted to the front frame of the truck. He hooks it onto the front door and starts the winch. With a lot of groaning from the machinery, the door springs open and he looks things over a bit closer. He notices the side and front airbags on the driver's side both worked. Agent Blye may be okay. As he checks for a pulse he finds one and quickly cuts her seat belt and removes her from the car. He has no time to check her injuries but he does look for any major bleeding or broken bones. Finding none he turns back to the SUV to retrieve the other two agents. He can see a little better now that the fire is somewhat smaller and notices Agent Hanna is bleeding pretty badly from what looks like a gunshot wound. He needs to get him out next and stop the bleeding. He crawls inside the SUV against his better judgment and cuts his seatbelt off and pulls him out. He quickly finds something to make a tourniquet with and ties off his leg. Now he needs to get Agent Callen out. As he looks inside, he knows he won't be able to get him out with the SUV on its side as it is. He grabs his winch cable and ties it off on the door center post on the driver's side and hopes this will work. He starts the winch and as it starts to growl the SUV slowly starts to move towards him. When it reaches midway gravity takes over and the SUV falls to the ground upright. He runs to the other side and luckily the door opens. He looks Agent Callen over. Not seeing any major bleeding, he cuts his seatbelt off and carefully removes him from the SUV. He checks all three of them once again and then calls Hetty.

Hetty is standing in ops wondering about what they just saw and trying to figure out if anyone could survive a rocket like that, when her phone rings. She recognizes the number right away so answers it, "Lange." And puts her phone on speaker so Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones can hear the news.

"Hetty, I need that chopper you had waiting for your agents to come to me so I can get them onboard before I have company. As quick as you can!"

"Mr. Beale, get it done please. Let's bring their bodies back home." The next words coming out of the speaker stuns everyone in the room.

"Hetty, there are no bodies. Not dead ones anyway. They're all alive. Very hurt but they all have pulses and they're all breathing on their own. It looks like Agents Callen and Hanna are in the worst shape. Hanna has a nasty gunshot wound in his leg that was bleeding pretty badly but other than that I don't think he has anything broken. Callen, on the other hand, looks to be pretty busted up and some nasty looking burns on his arms and more than likely his legs. Agent Blye looks to be okay on the outside other than the burns on her lower legs. I don't see very much blood but I don't know about internal bleeding. They ALL need medical attention as soon as they can."

Hetty collapses in the chair as all the air seems to be sucked out of her lungs with his news. She tells him, "The chopper that was waiting for them has got a physician on board that has worked in several combat zones. They should be at your location within the next minute or so. We need to get them out of Mexico before anyone finds out they're still alive. It wouldn't help them at all if they got caught because this was an unsanctioned op. Thank you Mr. Turk, you've been invaluable!" Hetty disconnects to make some more arrangements for her agents.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N - This chapter got away from me and grew a little larger than I had planned. So I had to split it.**_

Chapter 3

Deeks finishes putting his cleaning supplies away and admires how well the apartment looks. It took him a full two days but the results were worth it. Being right above his bar will help him out greatly, he thinks. He's hoping it will just be somewhere to crash after a late night, not his new permanent address. Maybe even a rental in the future. Tomorrow his outside sign is supposed to be installed and then he'll start really getting the bar ready. That's going to take him a bit longer than two days. He wants to remodel some of it to what he can see in his mind. He thinks about the sign and what it says and smiles. _MAX & FERNS _with cornflower blue neon. Kensi would like that. He wonders to himself what is going to transpire after Kensi gets back from Mexico and they can talk. All of a sudden he gets a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He shakes the feeling off and grabs a beer out of the cooler thinking again about the power. He has an electrician coming to check the wiring out in the apartment and bar next week. He wants to update the service to make sure he has enough power for everything he has planned for the bar. And the apartment hasn't been lived in for years. He has high hopes for his future with this place and with that thought he grabs the supplies to start taking them out to his truck to bring back home. Taking one last look around the apartment, he grabs his small cooler and heads back out to the truck and heads for home. A shower is going to feel so good tonight. He's almost home when his phone rings and the caller I.D. shows it's Hetty. He answers it saying, "Is she alive?"

Hetty says "Yes, but she's unconscious. They're currently enroute to Pacific Beach Medical by helicopter. They should be arriving in an hour."

"Thanks Hetty, I'll be there. What about Sam and Callen?"

"They are both unconscious also. Sam's leg is messed up and Mr. Callen is in bad shape. I had a combat physician on the helicopter waiting for the team just in case he was needed. It's a good thing I did, as he was indeed sorely needed."

"Combat physician?" Deeks queries.

"Yes, a doctor who has worked on people in a combat zone. He has seen and can recognize injuries caused in a conflict and is able to treat them right away."

"Oh. Good thing you did, right? I'll be there within the hour Hetty. Thanks for the heads-up." He's shaking, thinking not again.

"I'll see you there Mr. Deeks," and Hetty disconnects.

All sort of thoughts are running rampant through his head as he showers and gets ready to leave. He should have been there but Mosley took that away from him when she sent the flight early. He truly hopes everyone will be okay, walks out the door and heads to the hospital. As he pulls into the parking lot, he sees a helo sitting on the roof and knows they're here and hurries inside. As soon as he gets inside he sees Hetty and quickly walks to her. "When did they get here? Have you heard anything? Are they okay? Any of them wake up yet?"

"Mr. Deeks! Take a breath and settle down. Mr. Hanna regained consciousness almost an hour ago in the helo. He is currently in surgery to try to repair his leg. They gave him an MRI to see if there was any internal damage, found something with his leg and they wheeled him into surgery right away. They couldn't tell me what was wrong until they got in there but the doctor was not happy with Mr. Hanna running around without his cane and not healed from the bullet wound. Ms. Blye is having an MRI right now and we should hear something shortly. According to the onboard Dr., she has some burns to both her lower legs but nothing to be concerned with. She was slightly protected by the air bags. She's going to have some bruises from the seat belt but other than that she had no broken bones or external bleeding that the doctor could see. The MRI is just a safety precaution. Mr. Callen is a different story. He has a dislocated shoulder, several cracked ribs and two broken ribs, and his lower leg is broken, all of his injuries are on his right side. He also has burns on his arms and legs."

Before she could continue, Deeks asks her, "Do you know what happened Hetty?"

"Yes, Mr. Deeks. After Kensi dropped EAD Mosley's son Derek off at the first extraction point she went back to get Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna. As they were almost to the second extraction point the General and a few of his men were waiting for them. They fired a shoulder held rocket at their SUV and hit it in the lower right front. That's the only thing that saved them from going up in a big fire ball." Before Hetty can continue, the doctor comes through the door.

"Family of Ms. Blye?"

"I'm her fiancée" Deeks states, "How is she?"

"Well, other than a few superficial burns on her lower legs, she came out of it relatively well. It's her spinal cord that concerns us. The MRI showed swelling in the same area as there was the last time. We're going to keep her in a medically induced coma for a few days and see if the swelling goes down. This way, she won't move around and possibly damage it anymore than it already is. I'm hoping the specialist will have better news for us when she gets here. Agent Blye will be in her room shortly if you want to see her. Room 323." Saying that, he turns and goes back through the door.

As Deeks heads off to Kensi's room, his thoughts turn back to the last time this had happened and the struggle that she went through for all those months. He prays that this time that it works out better. He walks into the room and there she lies. She looks so peaceful but he knows that's far from the truth. He walks closer to her bed, gives her a kiss and takes her hand in his. He really needs to talk her into leaving this life behind. How long will it be before she comes home in a body bag? He can't think like that right now though. He just needs her to get better before they have any talks at all. But the thought that there have been too many close calls lately jumps into his head. He quickly shuts that down and gives her another soft kiss and begs her to be okay. He finds a chair in the corner that he pulls close to her bed and sits down and takes her hand again. The next thing he knows, someone is talking to him. "Mr. Deeks, wake up."

"I'm awake Hetty. Have you heard anything new?"

"Well, Sam is awake now. They have him on a low dose pain killer and Mr. Callen is back from surgery and is also about to wake up. I asked the doctor to put them both in the same room. Mr. Callen looks worse than he is but he's going to heal up just fine. Mr. Hanna and Ms. Blye are another matter. I need to see the doctor a little bit later after his rounds, but he had some news he wanted to tell me about Mr. Hanna. I'm on way to their room now to see how they're doing. You should stop in some time also."

"I will later Hetty. I want to sit with Kensi for a bit yet."

"I'll see you later then, Mr. Deeks." She says as she leaves the room.

Deeks sits with Kensi for almost another three hours telling her about his ideas for his bar. When he was done, he figured he should go see Callen and Sam. He gave her another soft kiss and squeezed her hand and told her where he was going and that he would be back later.

As soon as Deeks opens the door to their room, Sam starts in on him. "Where were you Deeks? We really needed you on this mission and you couldn't make it?"

"Mosley fired me Sam. She fired me and you all just let her. You weren't there for me first. Hetty talked me into going but by the time I got there, the plane had left. Thirty minutes before the flight was to depart, I was standing on the tarmac looking for it. A person from the ground crew told me it had left earlier than the flight plan stated. I was there Sam. It's just that you all weren't, again." He tried not to sound too bitter.

Sam doesn't remember hearing this before and isn't sure how to reply, it had never occurred to him to stand up to Mosely over Deeks's firing. In retrospect it was a crappy thing to do. He mutters. "She should leave mission planning to Hetty and just stay out of our way. Things would run a whole lot smoother that way. We used your plan with the horses. It almost worked. We were just one person short. Things may have turned out a little better had you been there." He hopes Deeks sees it as the apology he can't seem to make himself say.

"How about Hidoko? Wasn't she there? She could have helped you out."

"We don't know for sure if Hidoko is alive. We brought back a jar with some ashes and bone fragments to have forensics check out. I think it may be her. We won't know until the results come back."

"Oh man, Sam. That could have been any one of you guys. Brother, it's times like that that you need to rethink your career choice." Sam realizes Deeks has accepted his unspoken apology and feels a sense of relief.

He decides to ask Deeks about something he's heard from Hetty. "What about you Deeks? Are you coming back?"

"Sam, Mosley does NOT like me. She's been trying to get rid of me since day one of her being here. She fired me Sam. So no, I'm not coming back. I'm getting out and I'm hoping to talk Kensi into leaving also. Look at what happened this time. I'm not strong like you Sam. If something happened to her I couldn't make it. I mean, how the hell do YOU do it? No. It's not for me anymore. I want the happy ever after like you had and I don't see that happening anymore. The bad guys are growing more sophisticated and our lives hang in the balance every single day. No more Sam! The stock that every one of you harassed and teased me about? Well, it turned around and I made enough money when I sold most of it, to buy that bar and have money left over. THAT'S my new future. I'm really hoping it's Kensi's also."

"I'm going to miss you Deeks. The same goes for G and if he was awake at the moment he would tell you that. It just won't be the same around there."

"Yeah, well I have to do it. One of these times, my luck will run out and I won't have ANY future. Listen, I'll talk to you later, I need to get back to Kensi."

"Ok, later then Deeks." And Sam closes his eyes and ponders the state of things to come. The team is going to change again and with that Sam drifts off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Deeks stays with Kensi until visiting hours are over with and then heads home, He desperately needs sleep. The next morning finds Deeks back alongside Kensi's bed when Hetty walks into the room.

"Mr. Deeks what is on your agenda for today?" Hetty asks of him.

"I need to talk to Lt. Bates today and Human Resources. I have eight weeks of accrued leave time saved up and I'm taking it starting today. I am also turning in my resignation from the LAPD. I'm done Hetty. I just can't do it any longer. My heart just isn't in it."

"What about Ms. Blye? Are you just going to leave her?"

"Hetty, I want the happy ever after. The house, the wife, the kids, and a job I enjoy. Kensi told me she wasn't sure about having kids and she doesn't want to quit doing a job she loves. I can't hold out hope that each and every day she will make it home. I'm going to talk to her once she wakes up and is ready to talk. Then I'll know better what I'm going to do. But one thing is certain; it won't hold death and destruction as a possible daily outcome."

They take Kensi off sedation and let her wake up seven days after she was put in the coma. The swelling around her spine had gone back to normal but still they decided to keep her for observation another week. Deeks was there when she came out of it and things went back to normal, for a while. He told her what almost happened with her spinal cord again and the blood just drained out of her face. He could see her eyes well up and then a single tear rolled down her cheek. He calmed her down and things went on. A week later, Deeks asked her if she finally wanted to talk about things and she agreed. An hour later, she had screamed at Deeks to leave her the hell alone and that he was just like all the rest of the men in her life. He told her to keep the ring and do with it as she wanted and left. The next day, he took all his clothes and all of Monty's things, and Monty of course, to the apartment over the bar. It felt strange being alone again after the years they'd lived together. It wasn't something he wanted to get used to. Three months later he was working on some shelving behind the bar when he heard the front door open. He looked up and could only see a very large body in the doorway. Sam! "Hey Sam! Out slummin'? What're you doing with that cane? I thought your leg would be good to go by now."

"I don't think it will ever get better Deeks. I suffered some nerve damage in it and I need the cane to help keep my balance. There is a one in a million chance that it will get better, but the doctor didn't think so. So, Kensi is Callen's new partner and Hetty is looking for two more agents to fill the other two openings. So, Deeks, what do you have going on and do you need any help?"

"Are you kidding me Sam? I could use all the help you want to give to me. My idea is to make a raised platform over in that back corner with subdued lighting and a wooden railing around it. Then I want to put a large table there with a reserved sign on it for any NCIS personnel. Then, if you're willing, I want to put a wine cooler behind the bar and I would like your experience to pick out the wines to fill it. Then I need to buy one very old, very expensive, bottle of scotch just in case Hetty stops in. What do you say? You up for all that?"

Sam smiles and comes back with, "Let's get started."

"Not right away, but down the road, I want to put a Latin themed diner in the back room. Nothing fancy, just good Latin food."

Sam just shakes his head and smiles.

Nine months later and Max & Ferns is doing phenomenally. Deeks has a packed house almost daily. Sundays are a little slow and Deeks was thinking of closing the doors on Sundays. He and Sam needed some down time. Sam decided to stick around and help Deeks out and Deeks tried to pay him but Sam wouldn't hear of it. The bar is making between $1500 to $2500 a day in gross profits. Deeks puts everything over $1000 in a separate account for bills. Also, he started giving people a free drink after they bought the first two. Buy 2 get 1 for free. And, of course, he had a ladies night where men were not allowed into the bar and the mixed drinks were half price. He finally almost had what he always wanted. He has a job he loves and he is away from any mischief and mayhem. But what he doesn't have is a family. Oh sure, there have been a few ladies that came in and caught his eye, but they just weren't the one he was looking for.

A month later and Sam had an idea. Why didn't Max & Ferns open in the morning and serve coffee and doughnuts? Hmm, Deeks thinks that could work. Later that morning Deeks talked to the bakery that Kensi used to get her doughnuts from to see if they would like to deliver some doughnuts on a daily basis and they agree immediately. So the following Monday morning they started. It was a little slow at first and they got rid of a lot of doughnuts to the shelters in town but after a couple weeks, business picked up. It was decided that Sam would run the morning business as Deeks very seldom made it to bed before 3 a.m. He needed to clean up, take care of receipts, and take inventory. Everything over and above the cost of the coffee and doughnuts, Sam was told to keep. He put up a fuss at first but Deeks told him it was that or no doughnuts. Sam reluctantly agreed to the arrangement.

Sunday, Deeks took Sam out to dinner and they talked about starting up that Latin diner in the extra room at the back of the bar. There was enough room to have 10 tables without anyone feeling crowded. The next day, Sam and Deeks went shopping and found exactly what they were looking for with a delivery day of Friday of this week. The next thing they needed to find was a cook. Once they found a cook, they needed to make menus. They found a cook a few days later that proved to be very good. They started the little diner up the following week. Deeks thought he would keep the hours small. 2 hours for lunch and 3 hours for supper. Deeks told her the same thing he told Sam. You buy the food and any supplies you need and everything over and above the cost was hers. He also told her to buy fresh food every day, for lunch and supper. He told her the bar was now closed on Sundays and she was happy with the arrangement.

One afternoon a few hours before the bar was going to open Deeks told Sam he needed to go downtown to talk to one of his distributors about a new beer. He wanted to add a few dark beers to his supply. After he was done at the distributors, he wondered around a street fair looking for anything out of the ordinary. All of a sudden he feels this tap on shoulder and a "Martin? Is that you?"

Deeks spun around in the blink of an eye and there stood Eva Espinoza. "Eva! What a surprise! Are you in town on business? Or just sightseeing?"

"No Martin. I'm staying at my cousin's place. It's pretty crowded there but I have nowhere else to go."

"What happened Eva? Aren't you still the Chief of Police in Loreto?"

"No longer Martin, the cartel took over the town. What was left of it."

A thought pops into Deeks head and he says, "Excuse me for a moment Eva. I need to call someone." He dials Sam's number and when he answers Deeks asks him, "Sam, do you mind if I crash at your place for a few nights?"

"Not a problem Deeks but why?"

"Do you remember Eva Espinoza from Loreto Mexico? She was the Police Chief that was up here hunting a cartel leader years ago. Well, the cartel took over her town and her and the few souls left there got out. I thought of letting her stay at my place until she can find somewhere of her own. Should only be a week or two. Could you put up with me for that long?"

"Sure thing Deeks."

"Thanks Sam."

"Eva, how would you like to stay at my place? I'll stay with my friend until you manage to find your own place. How does that sound?"

"Oh Martin, are you sure about this? I do not want to put you out."

"It'll be okay Eva. Let's get your stuff and I'll take you to your new home."

Eva settles in to Marty's apartment very nicely. One day she wondered down to the bar as Deeks was doing some paper work and Eva asked him if she could help in some way. She told Deeks that before she became the Chief of Police in Loreto, she had her own cantina for several years.

"Whoa! Eva, how would you like a job here until you find something? I could use some help running this business. You could take care of the inventories for me. I'll give you a salary and let you stay upstairs. Do you have a visa that allows you to work in the U.S.?"

"Actually, I've had a dual citizenship for a couple of years now. I could see how things were going in Loreto." She sighs as she thinks of her home and then shakes off the sadness. "Okay Martin. I can do that for you for awhile. I'm waiting to hear about a couple of job openings I put my name in for, in a couple small towns in Northern Mexico. So, when should I start?"

"Right now! Let me give you a little tour and then you can take over. If you have any questions, I'm right here. Ok?"

"Ok" she says.

This new arrangement was working out very well Deeks thought. He had time again to do a little surfing and take Monty to the beach. One day he was riding a wave in and noticed Monty getting excited like he used to do when Kensi was around. But as hard as he looked, he didn't see her. Maybe Monty was getting excited about the gulls hanging around the beach. He forgot about it and went out for another wave.

Had Deeks continued to look, he would have noticed an Audi pulling out from behind a parked panel truck in the lot.

As Kensi sat watching mindless TV she thought again of today at the beach. She had no idea what pulled her to that particular beach, but then she saw him, her Deeks riding his board like he was one with the ocean. She had almost forgotten how good he looked with his board shorts on and his body sparkling with water. She shook the thoughts from her head and finished her beer and went to bed dreaming all night of happier times.

Kensi was finishing up the last of her after action report and thought once again how lucky they were today. They were in a warehouse looking for drug dealers selling to sailors when one of the younger agents stumbled against a 55 gallon drum full of C4 that was rigged to go off with a motion sensor. It was just pure luck that the sensor malfunctioned. It would have killed the whole team. Kensi starts thinking of some of the things that Deeks and she fought about over a year ago and now she can start to see what he was talking about.

"Hey Callen, do you know where Deeks lives now?" Kensi asks.

"Not really Kens but I can find out for you. Give me minute," And he dials Sam's number.

"Callen! It's been a long time partner. What's up that you're calling me?"

"I need to know where Deeks apartment is. You know?"

"Sure thing, it's over the bar. Pretty nice place he's got there also. Not as nice as the house he and Kensi had but very close. Say, when you stopping over at the bar for a beer? I'm buying."

"Soon big guy, soon. Talk to you later." Callen breaks the connection.

"Sam told me Deeks lives over the bar."

"Does Sam see him much?" She asks.

"They work together. They started a little coffee and doughnut place in the bar in the mornings. Sam takes care of that. All the money he makes from that, he keeps after he pays for the doughnuts and coffee, I guess he makes a right tidy sum. They have fresh doughnuts delivered daily with any leftovers going to the shelter. Deeks also started a little Latin diner in the back of the bar. I heard it's open for 2 hours for lunch and 3 hours for supper. They don't have fancy food, just good simple food. And like Sam, the cook has the same arrangement. Deeks told her to get fresh food for each meal and everything she makes above the cost of the food, she can keep. Deeks made Sam feel good again with his leg the way it is."

"You know Callen, I used to think I knew what I wanted out of life but now while I was sitting here filling out my after mission report I know I was all wrong. If I'm lucky enough to live to be older, I'm going to turn into Hetty. All I will have are a few good memories and a whole lot of what ifs. That's not what I want. I love my job, Callen," and her voice is gentler and filled with more emotion, "but I love Deeks more, and in twenty years from now, I won't have this job anymore, but if things work out well, I will have him. I need him. He's everything I ever needed. I need to see him Callen. I'm going to leave and see if I can repair the mistake I made a year ago."

Kensi drives like the hounds of Hell are after her and in a short while she reaches her destination. It's the first time she's been here and she notices the name of the bar right away and the color of the neon. She can only smile. She walks up the enclosed stairs and knocks on the door. When the door opens, the sight in front of her could knock her over with a feather. Oh dear god please tell me he didn't move on. "Is this where Martin Deeks lives?"

"Yes, but I'm living here also. Can I help you?"

"When he gets home, would you tell him Kensi stopped by please?"

"THAT'S where I know you from! You're Agent Blye, right? I'm Eva Espinoza. We met about 7 years ago. Remember?"

Kensi studied her face a little longer and then the memories came to her. "Of course. I remember now. Are you here on business again? "

"No, the cartel swallowed up my town and the few of us left got out. I was wondering around a Mexican street fair when I spotted Martin. He let me stay here until I can find someplace else but I may get a job offer shortly. I applied for a police position in two different towns on the coast of Mexico. There are a few resorts there and no cartels. I am almost certain to get one of the positions."

"So where is Deeks right now? Will he be back soon?"

"Well, he sleeps on Sam's boat and as far as when he'll be here, that would be right now. He's down running the bar along with Sam."

"Eva, I need to run. Maybe I'll talk to you later?" And Kensi tears down the stairs to the front of the bar. She looks at her reflection in the window and goes inside. She spots him right away at the far end of the bar talking to some customers. She sidles up to the bar and before she knows it, Sam is there offering to get her a drink. She tells him, "Anything on tap." And he leaves to get her order. When he brings her glass of beer back and sets it in front of her he puts his hand over hers. "Don't hurt him Kensi. It's taken him a year to get his head back in the game and I won't let you take him down again. He deserves better than that. Especially from you."

"I won't Sam. I need him too badly."

"Ok, hold on and I'll get him." Sam walks over to the cash register and then Kensi sees another smaller Max & Ferns light hanging above the register. What she didn't see was the big brass bell hanging there. Sam grabbed the rope and snapped the bell several times and Deeks walked down to see what was up. It was too early for last call. She watched Sam talk to Deeks and then Deeks' head snapped up and narrowed in on her. He said something to Sam and then walked towards her. The butterflies in her stomach were in full flight. She didn't know what to say or what to do and then there he was. Standing right in front of her with the smile on his face that always turned her into a pile of goo. "What can I do for you Kensi?"

"You can take me to city hall Monday and marry me. I get it now Deeks. I don't want to end up like Hetty with a just a few good memories and a lot what ifs. I want a family to put in our house that will play with Monty. I want to roll in the grass with our kids in our back yard. But most of all, I want to be able to kiss you whenever I want."

"Are you sure about this Kensi? This is a one way street and U turns are not allowed."

"I'm sure Deeks. Depending on what happens tonight, I'm either putting my ring back on and resigning from NCIS or, well, I don't know what but it won't be pleasant."

"Well then, put your ring back on Ms. Blye and be my wife Monday."

As she takes the ring off the chain around her neck, she didn't see Deeks come from behind the bar to stand next to her. When she slid it back on her finger she looked up and didn't see him but then she felt his arms around her and she knew things were going to be ok. Her everything was back. Her future, her Deeks.

 _ **The end.**_


End file.
